


Final Paragraph

by Woolverine



Series: Even Shadows Dream [4]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Anger, Angst, F/M, Oral Sex, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-04 12:46:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10991211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woolverine/pseuds/Woolverine
Summary: This ended up being twice as long as I intended. Seems Sara had some venting to do. The smut isn't until the nearly the end, I'm afraid.





	Final Paragraph

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up being twice as long as I intended. Seems Sara had some venting to do. The smut isn't until the nearly the end, I'm afraid.

Sara read through the datapad for the third time. It was confirmed. Everything she could do, she had done. Outposts on four worlds. Cordial relationship with a new species. A cultural icon rescued and the annihilation of her people slowed, if not yet halted. Deadly planets changing into habitable ones. Two arks found, two more Pathfinders to lead the Initiative to survival and success.

It was time to follow the transponder and infiltrate the Archon’s ship. It was a mission with a small chance of success. It was a mission that needed to be done, if her people were to survive in Heleus. There was no doubt in Sara’s head this was the way forward, even though she would probably die. As long as SAM got the data, and then transferred safely to Cora, it would be fine. She didn’t want her death to be as pointless as her dad’s had been. Tens of thousands of lives had been relying on Alec, and he had wasted his life to save just one, that of a woman who should have been allowed to die peacefully six hundred years ago. It had been foolhardy. That Sara had been able to cope as well as she had, had been pure, stupid luck.

But - even while she had been panic stricken, gasping for air that was killing her, Sara’s thoughts had not been of death. Instead, she had thought of all the things she hadn’t done yet, regretful she would never fall in love as her mother had wished, would never wake up next to the love of her life, would never find the joy her mother had had in sharing simple, everyday acts with her father.

Sara had still only managed one of those things. She had fallen in love without even realising that was what was happening to her. Reyes Vidal. Thinking his name gave her pleasure, and sadness. They had never made love, never woken up together, never shared a meal, or watched a film together. What had they done, apart from tear each other into pieces? Shared stolen whiskey, run hand in hand while laughing, kissed with only the sunset as witness. Lied to each other, murdered a tyrant, deserted each other.

That wasn’t fair. Sara tried to always be fair. She had deserted Reyes. He hadn’t turned his back on her. She had walked away from him without trying to understand his motives. It hadn’t been the lies, it had been her pride, because of the mask she had missed. Sara had thought she had seen into his soul, yet she hadn’t seen the Charlatan in there. There had been hints, hindsight had pointed them out, making Sara feel even more stupid. Had he laughed at her naivety? Told Keema the Pathfinder didn’t have a clue about who he was?

No. That wasn’t fair either. Perhaps Sara hadn’t seen all of Reyes, but that didn’t mean she was mistaken in what she had seen. He might not have told her he was the Charlatan, but he had shown his vulnerabilities, let Sara see how much he cared for her. He had shared as much as he had felt able to share. What had Reyes said? “I liked the way you looked at me, and I didn’t want that to change.” Well, less had changed than Sara had thought at the time.

It was too late to go back. The fledgling relationship had been crushed into the dirt. A new one was struggling to grow. Her last visit to Tartarus had proved the end of their romance beyond doubt, when he had rejected their passion for each other, offering friendship and comfort instead. Their now regular email correspondence spoke only of jobs done, how she was coping, what funny things Keema had said, or Drack’s latest practical joke. Friendly, caring, not a smidgen of romance.

Sara didn’t want to die without seeing Reyes again first. Perhaps they would never make love, never wake up together. Didn’t mean she couldn’t make other memories to console her while she fell into the ultimate darkness. They wouldn’t remove her regrets but anything was better than what she had now.

To Kadara Port then. Sara would make her farewell to the love of her life. She would give Reyes better images to remember of their times together. She might not have the right to tell Reyes how she loved him but she could add a final paragraph to their romance, give him a better ending.  

 

* * *

 

Sara was bashing out a tune with imaginary drumsticks, pretending Liam’s and Vetra’s heads were drums.

 

“Bop bopbop bopbopbop BOP!” she said, laughing even more when Liam rubbed his head and pretended Sara had hurt him with her drumstick. 

Cora entered the galley, face tripping her. Sara waited for the scolding to start, but carried on waving her invisible drumsticks

“Kallo says we’re on our way to Kadara Port. What’s the flimsy excuse this time?”

Silence hit the room like the aftermath of a grenade. Liam stood and made straight for the door. He didn’t want to be here for the fallout. Vetra’s mandibles clicked as the turian worked her jaw, clearly building up to a retort.

“Everyone else, out. Please. Last one out, close the door.” Sara’s voice was cold, all fidgets stopped.

“What now?” Cora snapped.

Sara carefully stepped into the biotic’s personal space. “What now, you ask. I think that’s my question, Harper. You pull this attitude every time we go to Kadara Port, no matter what the reason.”

Cora scoffed. “It’s the same reason for every visit. You, sneaking off to see that murderer.”

“The last twice we’ve been here, I didn’t even leave the Tempest, and Vidal certainly didn’t get on board. You should know that, guarding the entrance ramp like a eunuch outside a harem.”

The other woman shuffled her feet, didn’t say anything, but kept her gaze fixed on the Pathfinder’s.

“I gave you your say on this matter, months ago. I followed the advice, no, instructions, you forced upon me. I listened to you, not as my subordinate, but as someone who had been a friend to my family. Since then, you have taken every opportunity to remind me of your opinion.”

“I was just trying to look out for you, the way Alec or Scott would. I still am, Sara.”

“Then pay close attention. You insisted it would be bad for our overall mission, for the Initiative, if I had a romantic relationship with Vidal. You said his cover would soon be blown, and when he was outed as the Charlatan, my credibility would vanish if I were known to be his lover,” Sara paused, and Cora jumped in.

“I still believe it was the best, no, only course of action to take. You’d made a break with him yourself after you found out.”

“Did I say you could speak yet, Harper? I think not. You would not have dared to interrupt my father in that manner, and you will afford me the same respect. Understand?” Sara had learned the voice of command at her father’s knee, and now it was backed with newfound confidence in her skills.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“To recap, I took your advice, because I thought you had the clearer head on this subject. Given how little trust you have shown me with regard to Vidal, I now doubt your head has been any clearer than mine. I’m going to tell you something now, and you’d better engrave it on your fucking heart, because if you forget it, I’ll engrave it there for you. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m about to undertake an extremely dangerous mission, the most dangerous one of my Pathfinder career. Before I do so, I will spend some downtime with the man I love, with whom I ended any chance of a future for the sake of the Initiative. I’ve no idea what Dad would have advised me to do about being with Vidal, but given what he sacrificed because of the love he bore for my mother, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t make mealy mouthed snipes at me about my feelings every chance he got. You will never again make derogatory remarks about Reyes Vidal in my hearing. You will never again comment on my relationship with Reyes Vidal, no matter what that relationship is. You’re staying here, under my command, because of SAM’s importance to the Initiative, not because of any contribution you have made.”

Sara’s rage was still building, and Cora knew her well enough to recognise that. She tried to take a step back, but Sara followed her until they were toe to toe.

"Harper, have I made my feelings clear to you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I suggest you stay out of my way for the near future.” Sara turned on her heel and walked to the door.

“Sara,” Cora said, in a voice quite unlike the one which had started this conversation. “Pathfinder. I apologise for overstepping. I apologise for the tone I used.” She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry for not being the friend you needed.”

Sara nodded. “I’ll try to remember your apologies when I’m bleeding out and full of regret for what I turned down,” she said, then stalked back to her quarters.

  

* * *

 

When Cora tried to comment on Sara heading to the slums without putting on her armour, Drack intervened before Sara could speak.

 “I’m bodyguarding her down to Tartarus,” he snarled “Ryder doesn’t need anything else.”

 “Fine, fine,” Cora muttered. “Just doing my job.”

 “Got all your stuff, kid?” Drack asked, looking Sara over.

 “Yeah, I think so.” The Pathfinder pretended she hadn’t heard what Cora had said, concentrating on the carry cases she had packed.

 “Let’s roll out then. There’s a bottle of ryncol with my name on it waiting for me out there.”

The human and the krogan made their way through the docks in silence, unless Drack growling at people who got too close counted as speech. The people waiting for the lift vanished when they saw who was also looking for a trip down to the slums. Sara didn’t know if it was her they were fleeing from, or Drack, but either way, it amused her. 

“Does it ever get not funny?” she asked.

“What?”

“People running away from you.”

Drack laughed heartily, and thumped his fist approvingly on the wall of the lift. “Never gets old, kid. Especially when they run away during a fight. That’s always hilarious!”

“Good to know.” Sara looked the krogan right in the eyes. “When I go onto the Archon’s ship, I’m leaving you on the Tempest, old man. It’s in case I don’t make it back. I’m relying on you to keep Cora in line. Don’t let her get too caught up in the red tape and rule books and combat manuals and heroic stories to forget the people we’re trying to save.”

“If you don’t make it back, Sara, I’ll tear that damn ship open from front to arse, just to retrieve your corpse. I don’t like you leaving me behind, but I respect your reasons, so I’ll follow orders. This time. Don’t think you can start leaving me parked on the fucking ship all the time, because I’ll piss in your nasty human cereal.”

“Got a secret for you. Come closer so I can whisper it,” the Pathfinder said.

Drack leaned his massive head towards Sara’s mouth.

“I ALWAYS EAT YOUR CEREAL, OLD TIMER!” Sara shouted, then collapsed into giggles.

“Fuck you, Ryder. You’d better hope the kett kill you, because I am coming for you,” Drack rumbled before he, too, couldn’t hold back the laughter.

 

* * *

 

Reyes walked over to meet Sara halfway after SAM opened the door to the private room. She had already instructed the AI to make sure they were only disturbed for emergencies, and to switch to full privacy mode.

“You’re earlier than I expected,” Reyes said, offering his hand for Sara to shake. Instead she passed the carry cases over to him.

“Lunch. Or dinner. Or whatever the next mealtime is here,” she said.

He looked at her quizzically.

“It occurred to me that we’ve never had a meal together, and that is something people, friends, do,” Sara smiled her most convincing smile.

“It will be a pleasure to dine with you, Sara. How long do you have on Kadara this time?,” Reyes asked.

“Not long enough, as usual, Reyes. Need some downtime, and you are my favourite downtime companion. Well, the only downtime companion I have who isn’t on my team.”

The Charlatan began unpacking the food onto a table. “Apples. Cheese. Two kinds of cheese, mm. Is this fresh bread, Sara?”

“Came out of the Tempest oven not two hours ago, so pretty damn fresh. Made it myself.”

Reyes whistled. “You never stop amazing me with your talents. Soldier, diplomat, baker? What a fantastic combination!”

“Everyone eats, so everyone should know how to cook. That’s a pearl of wisdom from the Nakmor Drack handbook for you. I made beef stew. It isn’t fancy but it is tasty. Drack gave it his seal of approval, and he has very discerning tastebuds, the three that haven’t been destroyed by the ryncol.”

He lifted the lid off the stew container. “It smells better than anything I’ve eaten in months. Possibly years.”

“That hungry are you, Vidal?”

“I may have skipped breakfast,” he shrugged.

“I forgot to bring a sharp knife to slice up the cheese and bread,” Sara realised.

“That is not a problem.” Reyes pulled out his boot knife. “Freshly cleaned today, I promise.”

Sara took the small, wicked looking knife and tested the edge. “On second thought,” she said, passing the knife back, “You can do all the cutting.”

They ate slowly. Reyes because he was savouring the food, Sara because she was savouring the company. She didn’t want this meal, this time together, to end. All too soon, they had eaten their fill. Sara sat, simply looking at Reyes, trying to fix his face in her memories.

“What aren’t you telling me, Sara?” he asked.

“Shitloads,” she joked.

“Not willing to share yet?” Reyes smiled.

“Not yet.”

“We have eaten a meal together, as friends do. What is the next part of your plan?”

Sara looked bashful. She knew the main thing she wanted, couldn’t happen. The images that had been filling her brain all through the meal had been enough to make Drack blush. Before she could say anything, her mouth opened in a tremendous yawn.

“Sorry,” she said. “It’s the middle of the night in Tempest time.”

Reyes reached out and stroked her newly grown hair. “Then why don’t you nap? Right here? I can work, you can rest, and it will still count as spending your downtime together.”

“You really know how to tempt a woman, Reyes. I can’t remember the last time I had a nap.”

He patted the seating next to him. “Come and lie down, Sara. You know you want to. Hmm, nap time is always sooo good.”

Sara giggled. “Okay, I’m persuaded, but only if…” she stopped before finishing her thought.

“Only if?” Reyes prompted.

She blushed, shook her head.

“You can’t leave me hanging like this, Sara. Only if?” he lowered his voice to the husky whisper he knew she couldn’t resist.

“It was a random thought. Nothing important.”

“Tell me, or no nap for you, Ryder!”

Sara sighed, still blushing. “Only if I can sleep with my head in your lap, Reyes.”

The smuggler’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is that the sort of thing friends do?” Reyes asked.

“Mine do. Did. Back in the Milky Way. We held hands, linked arms, used each other as pillows,” Sara answered, not mentioning that had been a group of teens.

Reyes smiled slyly, as if he had seen through her subterfuge. “Very well. If that is how you behave with friends, that is how we will behave.”

He moved the pile of datapads from beside him. “Come, lie down here, and have your nap. You deserve it.”

Sara tried to hide how intensely pleased she was. She settled herself, legs stretched out along the seating, head on Reyes’s lap, facing away from him. She felt his movements as Reyes selected a data pad and began to scroll through it. Sara drifted slowly away, maybe not asleep, but certainly in a deep doze. It had been a while since she had felt such security and comfort. It was heavenly.

After a while, the Pathfinder changed position, sleepily unaware of her exact placement. Her left cheek was nestled into his groin, her nose a scant centimetre from the zip of his trousers. She mumbled her pleasure when Reyes laid his hand upon her head, gently stroking her right cheek with his thumb. Sara didn’t notice his breathing changing right away, only that the pressure of his hand against her hand was firmer, the stroking more insistent. She was vaguely aware of an increased pressure against her left cheek. Only when his cock twitched against her face did Sara realise an opportunity had arisen. She pressed her cheek more firmly against his erection, rubbing her face slowly up and down the length. Reyes’ breath caught, and his thumb stopped moving.

“Is this something you also did with friends, back in the Milky Way?” he demanded softly.

Sara smiled widely. “Not of all them, no.”

“A select few?”

“A very select few.” She brought her hand up to unbuckle his belt, her eyes still closed.

“This seems like a very bad plan to me, Pathfinder.”

“Even bad plans can be good ideas, Charlatan.”

He held his breath as she deftly released the buckle, pulling it free. Next, she went to work on his zip. Only then did she lift her face, ready for when she pulled his cock free from his clothing. Reyes caught her hand with his own, even as her fingers reached inside the opening.

“A. Very. Bad. Plan,” he repeated. His voice grew hoarser with every word.

“We’ve followed worse plans.” Sara tilted her head in order to look Reyes in the eyes. “Much. Worse. Plans.”

“None so bad as this, I fear,” Reyes insisted.

She began plant small, wet kisses on the hand restraining hers. She took his thumb into her mouth and nibbled it gently with her teeth.

“You are a wicked, filthy woman,” the smuggler groaned.

“Perhaps. We’ve had so little of each other, Reyes. Let us have this,” Sara responded.

“Friends don’t do things like this to each other.”

“Some friends do. I think we should be those kinds of friends.”

His grip on her hand relaxed, and Sara was able to nudge his hand out of the way so she could slip her fingers inside his trousers and explore. Reyes threw back his head and exhaled deeply.

“If I wasn’t going to hell already, I would be going for this,” he muttered.

“Shush, Reyes. I need my mouth for other things.”

She pulled his hard-on free of his clothing and pressed her open, wet mouth against it. Reyes shivered. Sara worked her way along the length, ravishing him with her tongue, her right hand having taken a firm hold. It was awkward to get a good angle to take his cock into her mouth, though. Sara stood, threw her jacket onto the metal floor to provide some cushioning, then knelt. She grasped the waistband of his open trousers, and when she tugged, Reyes lifted his hips so she could pull his trousers and underwear down his thighs.

He was watching her intently, eyes dark with emotion. Sara couldn’t resist. She winked at him, and heard him laugh as she leaned forward to take him into her mouth. Reyes moaned softly, then more loudly as Sara pulled back his foreskin and began to lap delicately at the head of his cock, like a cat at the cream. She sucked gently while working her hand up and down. Sara’s movements were all slow, deliberate, in contrast to his breathing which had speeded up. Then she flicked her tongue rapidly over the most sensitive tip, and Reyes gasped her name at the change in sensation.

He put his hand over hers, demonstrating the speed and pressure he wanted, needed, from her. Sara followed his instruction as to pressure, but she slowed the speed. She wanted to take her time, to lavish Reyes with attention and pleasure, to make this as memorable as possible for them both. After all, Sara thought, this may be the only time I’ll have to pleasure him, I want to make it count.

She covered her teeth with her lips and almost gnawed upon his silken flesh. Reyes responded by grabbing her shoulders and pulled her head even further into his groin.

“I wish your hair had grown back more,” he said. “I’d love to feel it brushing against my skin while you suck me.”

Sara lifted her head, sat up, pulled his face to hers so she could kiss him deeply. “Maybe next time,” she whispered against his mouth, before moving her attention back to his cock.

He had grown even more rigid, and Sara increased the urgency of her movements. She took him deep into her mouth, moving her head up and down, while still rhythmically pumping with her strong fingers. Reyes began to thrust his hips up towards her, driving himself into Sara’s mouth. She tilted her head to take in even more of him.

Reyes was gasping her name now. “Sara! Fuck! Oh, Sara, so damn good!”

Hearing the unrestrained emotion in his voice thrilled her. She wished she could record his words, to listen to again and again in her lonely bed. Sara started squeezing more firmly, more quickly. Reyes was beyond words now, only capable of noises of need and pleasure. His fingers were digging into her flesh, holding her close. Suddenly he stilled, shouting her name, then his ejaculate hit the back of her throat. Sara shuddered with the thrill of it, swallowing it down, still working him with her hand and mouth.

Reyes released her shoulders, grasping her arms instead, pulling Sara up to crush her against his chest. His mouth found hers, and he thrust his tongue inside. Now it was her turn to moan his name.

Sara’s omnitool pinged. “Pathfinder. You are due to meet Nakmor Drack in ten minutes. You asked me to remind you if you were still with Reyes.”

Reyes sagged back in his seat, releasing his grip on her. His expression was as vulnerable as Sara had ever seen it, a wistful smile on his lips. She reached out and stroked his hair, his face.

“I wish I had only you to think of,” she said.

He nodded, turned his head towards her hand, and kissed her palm.

“I will see you again soon, Sara?” he asked.

“I hope so,” Sara whispered, hoping she would be able to hold back her tears until after she had left Tartarus.

“I don’t know what to say,” Reyes murmured. “I wasn’t expecting…”

She silenced him with a finger over his lips. “Thank you, Reyes, for being in my life, being my friend, letting me please you.”

Reyes pushed her finger away. “You don’t expect to see me again,” he said, somehow divining her thoughts.

Sara considered lying to him but decided Reyes deserved the truth. “Remember how we met? Getting the transponder from Vehn Terev? Gil finally got it working. I’m going after intel on the Archon’s ship.” A tear fell. “I just wanted to spend time with you before I went. I never intended anything more.”

“Why does it have to be you? Why can’t Rix or Sarissa go?” he demanded, brushing the tear across her cheek.

“Because it’s on a Remnant device, and they can’t access them the way I can with my SAM.”

Reyes closed his eyes, pain written across his features.

“And what was this? A goodbye, I’m off to die, blowjob? A memory to console me when I hear of your death?” He sounded angry.

“All I intended was the meal, time spent with you, close to you. Nothing else, nothing more. I wanted us to have good memories of each other but that’s all. Then I couldn’t resist. I’ve been dreaming of how you would feel in my mouth, how you would taste, what you would sound like. I couldn’t resist, and I’m not sorry for that, Reyes. I’m not.”

Sara sniffed, wiped away her own tears this time. “I am sorry for leaving you in the cave. My feelings…”

“Don’t say any more, Sara. You’ll break me, again.” There were tears on Reyes’ lashes. “Drack will be waiting. You’d better go.”

Sara stood, picked up her jacket. She gazed at Reyes longingly for a few moments. “Keep the leftovers,” she said, and walked to the door.


End file.
